Improvement in apparatus for detaching poles and shafts from vehicles



'Loowie o. KUNZE, or HAnaisoNvInLn Missouri.

LettersvPatent No. 109,-521,dated November 22, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR DETACHING POLES AND SHAFTS FROM VEHICLES.

The Schedule referred to in'these Letters Patent and making partof thesame.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LoDwiG O. KUxzn,otlIarrisonville, in the county of Cass and State of Misreference beinghad to the annexed drawing makingl a part of this specification, andtothe letters and ligures of retereuccmarked thereon.

Figure l ofthe drawing is a representation ot a plan view of myinvention. v

Figure 2 is a central cross-scctmi of' the same. Figure 3 is a detail. pMy invention relates to the method ot' attaching the tongues or shaftsto vehicles, and consists in the novel construction and arrangement ofdevices iutended to serve as a valuable improvement in the inode ofmaking the attachment, both to promote the safety of the occupants ot`such vehiclesand to ex= pedite the detachiug andv removal of the tongueand horses.. i

A represents the fiiont axle ot' a vehicle, to which I attach, in theordinary manner, thc'fFt-h-whccl Band the clamps (ab, and c.

Through the fifth-wheel l I C, as shown on fig. 2. y

lhe upper end of this rod enters the body o'r box place a vertical rod,

and is bent inthe form of a crank, whereby it may bc operated by eitherthe hand or foot ot' the driver.

The vlower end of this rod passes through the. bottom clamping -plate u,which is extended forward forthis purpose', and is formed into a ring,to-which I secure'one end of each oi the chains I) D respectively, thepurpose of which willl he set forth hereafter.

The upper or clasping-bands of the 'clamps l; b l extend, and constructthereon circular loops or rings, througl which pass the inside ends ofthe rod E, the other end of each rod passing through and project- 'ofthe vehicle immediately-iu rear of' the dash-board,

ing a short distance beyond similar loops on thcclam ps Thesetwo'end-bauds I make wider than the others, and in each, and nearest itsoutside edge, I form a slot oi' the proper width to receive the eye atthe' rear end of the shaft ortougue-braces d l?.

These braces are formed in thev usual manner, the rod E passing throughthe two bands ofthe clamp c, and the eye at the end ot' the tongue-braceforms a hinge-joint similar to those commonly used on vehicles.-

lo the inside ends of the vrods E E, I secure the other endfof thechains D D, and over the centra-l part of these two rods I place thespiral sprngs o o.-

One cud of each rests iagainst the outside of the grasping-band b, andthe other against a shoulder 4or projection ou the rod E;

'hcu the crank at the upper end of the vertical rod C is turned iueither direction, it winds up the chains 1) I), pulling back the rods E,and releasing the tongueebraces l d.

Ihc backward movement of these rods contracts the spiral springs o o, sothat when the rod C is ref leased, the rods slide back to their properpositions.

The braces I) I), being released in this manner, would be liable to dropagainst th'e hind legs ,of the horses, either injuring or frighteningthem. t

To obviate thisI have constructed au apparatus designed to holdthetongue in its horizontal position, aud-carry il'- ovcr the groundwit-hout danger or damage. v

Immediately in front of thc eye on the tonguebraces I secure thisapparatus, a sectional view oi'` 'which will be sceu iu iig. 3, and aplan view iu lig. 1.

ll represents a disk, connected ata proper distance' to another by thetwo pieces f jl On the centers of these disks I pivot, near its upperend, the rod G.

This rod is bent Set fort-li.

v Along the inside edge of the disk F Iplace a curved arm n, pivoted atits upper end, and connected to the rod Gr by means of the sloth iu itslower end, about the point where the -rod enters between the two disks.`

Against the edges ot' this slot, in the curved arm 11,- rests one endot' the spiral spring l', andthe other end againstthe shoulder It. y

Io better illustrate the operation 0i' this device, I will describe themanner of attaching the tongue to a vehicle by means of my invention.

at each end, for purposes hereafter rIhe rods E E are pulled back by thecrank C, uuy til the. tonguebraces can enter the slots in the plates cc, when they are released suiiiciently to engage the braces, butuotallon-'ed to project beyond the outside edges of the'clamping-plates.

While they arc heilig held in thisposition, wlucu may readily be donewith a ratchet and pawl attached to the vertical rod C where it entersthe vehicle-box, the rodG is lifted upward and inward, until the bend orhookat the upper end, shown in Eg. 1, is below the eye ot' the plate c,when the rod E is i'ullyreleased, sliding out and projecting over andbeyond the bend in the rod G, holding it firmly and securely in ahorizontal posit-ion.

The action of lifting the rod Gr to a horizontal posit-ion forcesthej'curved arm u to describe the arcot' a circle, with its pivot Zasacenter. l

This moves theslot-ted'end h down the rod and-away from the edge of' thedisk, contracting the vspiral spring z', and holding it as long as therod G remains in the horizontal position; but the instant the pressureof the rod E is removed, this springt recoils, and throws the rod'g intoa vertical position, which will be ascomplished before the rod E can bedrawn hack far enough to release the braces d d.

At the lower end,of this rod G I make a slight curve or bend to therear, so that when the rod G is in its vertical position, it acts as a.support to the rear end of the` tongue, and holds the tongue in' a.horizontal position, and these curved ends serve the purpose ofrunners', enabling the rod'sG G to Apass-easily over the ground; i

What I cla-im as my invention, aud'desire toseeure by Letters Patent, is

Thediisk F,.slotted arm u, provided with runner G' unto subscribed myname in the presence of two wtnesses.

LODVVIG O. KUNZE.

Witnesses:

i M. W. G ARRlsoN,

CARLTON BAILEY.'

